Railway brake beam structure



May 23, 1950 H. M. VAN SWERINGEN 2,508,658

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE Filed July 22, 1946 INVENTORZ HARRY M. VAN SWERINGEN ATTORNEY.

Patented May 23, 1 950 Harry M. Van Sweringen, Chicago, 111., assignor to Chicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 22, 1946, Serial No. 685,321

1 Claim. 1

The invention relates to railway brake beams of the truss type and consists in structure for maintaining the assembly of the compression member, the tension member and the brake head.

In the usual truss type brake beam, the head is seated on the end of the compression member and has a bearing on its outer face for a nut threaded on the end of the tension rod which passes through the brake head. If the nut works off or if the tension rod fails, the head may become disassembled from the compression and tension members. In such event, if theonly support for the beam is the usual swing hanger received in the head, the beam may fall to the track and may cause serious damage to the truck and even cause a wreck.

The main object of the invention is to maintain assembly of the beam parts in the event the tension rod or the nut fails.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety retainer for the head and other beam members which is simple, inexpensive and effective for the purposes indicated.

It is a further object to attain this result without appreciably weakening the beam compression member, tension member or brake head.

Another object is to provide an easily removable safety retainer in the event the brake beam must be disassembled for making repairs.

These and other detail objects are attained by which the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top view of a railway truss type brake beam embodying one form of the invention, the right hand end being sectioned and showing the parts as the safety retainer is being applied.

Figure 2 is a detail vertical view looking in the direction of the arrow 2 in Figure 1, showing the safety retainer applied, and drawn to an en-. larged scale.

Figure 3 is a section corresponding to the right hand end of Figure 1, showing the safety retainer applied, and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing another form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a top view corresponding to the right hand end of Figure l, drawn to an enlarged scale, and showing the embodiment of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on line 'I'I of Figure 5.

The beam illustrated in Figures 1-4 includes a channel-shaped compression member I, a round rod tension member 2, a strut 3 intermediate the ends of the beam, brake heads 4 mounted on the converging ends of the compression and tension members, and tensioning nuts 5 threaded on the ends of the tension member. Each head 4 includes the usual elements 6 facing forwardly of the beam to support the usual brake shoe (not shown). The outer side I of the head has a bearing 8 for nut 5. The inner side 9 of the head preferably includes a sleeve III which encircles tension rod 2 and restrains tension rod 2 against play relative to compression member I. The head is recessed inwardly from its inner side 9 to receive the end portion of compression member I and the end of the latter is seated at II.

All of the above described features correspond to well known structure. A flange I3 extends rearwardly from brake head sleeve I0 and has portion I3a extending parallel to compression member I. The web of compression member I, head back wall I2 and portion I3a of flange [3 are provided with aligned apertures I4 adjacent sleeve I0. After brake head 4 is assembled with compression and tension members I and 2, a tapered pin I5 having a head I6 at one end is inserted in apertures I4 (Figure 1), and is forced into engagement with sleeve I0 so that the opposite end I! of the pin bends sufficiently to prevent the pin withdrawing from apertures I4. Preferably pin I5 fits loosely in apertures I4 so that during normal operation of the brake beam structure, there is no load or stress on the pin. The pin functions upon removal of tensioning nut 5 to maintain assembly of compression member I, tension rod 2 and brake head 3.

The structure shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7 resembles that described above, except that apertures 20 for a plurality of vertically disposed retaining pins 28 are formed in the top and bottom flanges 2| and 22 of the beam compression member 23 and in the top and bottom walls 24 and 25 of the compression member receiving pocket 26 in brake head 21. When pins 28 are driven home, they are distorted by engagement with sleeve 29 of brake head 21 similar to the distortion of pin I5 as described above.

The safety retainers here illustrated are notintended to take the place of the tensioning nuts for resisting the thrusts exerted longitudinally of the beam when the brakes are applied and re leased but they will prevent the head from being disassembled accidentally from the remaining beam parts and the resultant dropping of the parts to the rail.

Details of the construction may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of modifications coming within the scope of the claim is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

In a railway truss type brake beam including a channel-like compression member and a tension rod with their end portions converging, a brake head member receiving said end portions and having a back wall engaging the outer face of the web of said compression member and having a sleeve spaced from said wall and receiving said tension rod and also having a flange extending rearwardly from said sleeve and; in- 18 eluding a portion extending parallel to said" compression member, there being aligned. apertures through the web of said compression member REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 813,704 Huntoon Feb. 27, 1906 990,938 Williams May 2, 1911 2,270,610 Spaeth Jan. 20, 1942 2,398,918 Busch Apr. 23, 1946 2,419,115 Busse Apr. 15, 1947 

